The New Fall TV Shows Everyone’s Talking About

The New Fall TV Shows Everyone’s Talking About

New fall television programming means new crushes, new drama, and new friends. Basically, it’s back-to-school for you and your DVR. There’s a slew of new series coming up, so we put together a preview of all the shows you can’t miss. Class is in session. (P.S. See if your favorites from last season are coming back!)

Cheer

Cheer follows a competitive cheerleading squad helmed by a pair of coaches who remind us of the hyper pom-pom fiendsportrayed byWill Ferrell and Cheri Oteri on Saturday Night Live. It’s perfect for the girl who likes Dance Moms and can’t bring herself to turn off those insane ESPN cheer contests. Plus, Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa produced it, so you know it’s going to be good.

Cheer premieres Friday, Sept. 7, at 11 P.M. ET on CMT.

Photo: Courtesy of CMT

Go On

Group grief counseling doesn’t sound like fun, especially to Matthew Perry’s sarcastic-sportscaster character, Ryan. But when he’s forced to go, the experience—and OK, maybe Laura Berlanti’s mesmerizing beauty—opens up a different side of him. We’ve been fans of handsome Perry’s self-deprecating humor since Friends, and the kooky ensemble members add to the endearing quality of the show.

Go On premieres Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 9 P.M. ET on NBC.

Photo: Courtesy of NBC

The New Normal

Because his arc on Girls (as Hannah’s gay ex-boyfriend) was one of the best things ever on television, we’ll follow Book of Mormon star Andrew Rannells anywhere. And if that road leads us to a hilarious, politically incorrect ensemble comedy co-starring Ellen Barkin, Justin Bartha, and Nene Leakes, even better. Those bawdy personalities will draw you in—Leakes gives as much sass as she does on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and Barkin nails it as a racist, gun-toting grandma—but you’ll stay for the tender story that’s tying them all together: A single mom who needs a fresh start (Georgia King) signs up to make a gay couple’s baby dream come true.

The New Normal premieres Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 9:30 P.M. ET on NBC.

Photo: Courtesy of NBC

The Mob Doctor

The last time we got to watch Jordana Spiro every week, she was aw-shucks-ing it at Chicago bars on My Boys. But in this Grey’s Anatomy–meets–The Departed mash-up, she’s got a degree in medicine and a very different side of Chi-Town to deal with. Spiro plays a doctor who owes the Mob, and paying off her debt means doing some twisted things at her day job.

The Mob Doctor premieres Monday, Sept. 17, at 9 P.M. ET on Fox.

Photo: Courtesy of Fox

Revolution

We love a good sweeping end-of-days epic, but you know what they always seem to be missing? A tough, take-charge heroine. Enter Tracy Spiridakos—and her souped-up crossbow. (Katniss would be jealous.) Her character, Charlie, lives in a new world envisioned by Lost’s J.J. Abrams and Jon Favreau, one in which there’s no electricity or technology. We’re talking Little House on the Prairie–style regression here. But none of that stops Charlie from setting out on a cross-country quest to find her brother.

Revolution premieres Monday, Sept. 17, at 10 P.M. ET on NBC.

Photo: Courtesy of NBC

Partners

This show gets our dream-ensemble-of-the-season award. How could it not, with Brandon Routh (Superman himself), Michael Urie (Ugly Betty), David Krumholtz (Numbers, sure, but more important 10 Things I Hate About You), and Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill fans, rejoice!)? Urie and Krumholtz play besties and business partners who are about to embark on life changes sparked by Krumholtz’s character’s engagement. If it feels a little like a younger Will & Grace, that’s because it’s from the same creative team.

Partners premieres Monday, Sept. 24, at 8:30 P.M. ET on CBS.

Photo: Courtesy of CBS

Ben and Kate

Nat Faxon (Ben) plays the sort of well-meaning screw-up who seems to be on top of only one thing: collecting flannels. His sister, Kate (Dakota Johnson), tries to hold their lives together. Be glad you’re not Ben’s sister because I promise you’ll have a crush on him before episode three. Oh, and there’s an adorable kid in the mix—as Kate’s daughter, Maggie Elizabeth Jones steals the show.

Ben and Kate premieres Tuesday, Sept. 25, at 8:30 P.M. ET on Fox.

Photo: Courtesy of Fox

The Mindy Project

Oh, hey, not sure if you’ve heard about this show The Mindy Project? It’s not like we’ve been talking about it much. In any case, if you’re just joining us, Mindy Kaling plays a single physician, a bubbly romantic whose life is one long series of scrubs-to-sequins quick-changes. In between, she manages to bravely voice the stuff most of us keep in our heads. Anna Camp stars as her eminently together best friend, and a virtual hot-guy calendar of actors play the doctor’s many romantic interests.

Animal Practice

Taking our pets to the vet isn’t typically our favorite pastime, but then again, our vet isn’t the groomed, suave, and emotionally unavailable Dr. George Coleman, played by Justin Kirk. His world of animal-kingdom theories and limited human contact is turned upside down by the overly perky Dorothy Crane (Joanna Garcia-Swisher), who’s the rightful heir to the hospital at which he works. Yes, there is a monkey. Driving a tiny ambulance. Enough said.

Animal Practice premieres Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 8 P.M. ET on NBC.

Photo: Courtesy of NBC

Guys With Kids

The three Baby Björn–toting daddy bros (Anthony Anderson, Jesse Bradford, and Zach Cregger) in this Jimmy Fallon–produced comedy are almost as cute as the infants, but we’re just as excited to see Tempestt Bledsoe and Jamie-Lynn Sigler back on TV.

Guys With Kids premieres Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 8:30 P.M. ET on NBC.

Photo: Courtesy of NBC

Elementary

Lucy Liu plays a remixed, up-to-date version of Sherlock Holmes’ trusty sidekick, Dr. Watson, and the world’s most legendary detective (played by Jonny Lee Miller) is looking pretty different himself. He’s a London rich boy gone bad who’s fresh out of rehab. Liu is his sober companion turned investigative cohort. Both are haunted as much by inner demons as they are unsolvable cases.

Elementary premieres Thursday, Sept. 27, at 10 P.M. ET on CBS.

Photo: Courtesy of CBS

Made in Jersey

The Garden State’s pop-culture domination continues, this time in the courtroom. Janet Montgomery—who’s British, by the way, meaning her accent work alone should score her an Emmy nod—plays a first-year associate at a snooty Manhattan law firm. No spray tans or meatballs here—well, no human meatballs, that is.

Made in Jersey premieres Friday, Sept. 28, at 9 P.M. ET on CBS.

Photo: Courtesy of CBS

666 Park Avenue

This ghostly show could be the season’s breakout guilty pleasure and the ideal substitute for those who can’t quite handle American Horror Story. (We’re not judging). What’s really scary, though, is how good-looking the cast is. Rachael Taylor, Robert Buckley, and Vanessa Williams all star alongside Dave Annable, who plays the building manager of a gorgeous (but haunted) Manhattan apartment building.

666 Park Avenue premieres Sunday, Sept. 30, at 10 P.M. ET on ABC.

Photo: Courtesy of ABC

Nashville

Let’s be serious—we were sold on this show the second we heard “Connie Britton,” “Hayden Panettiere,” and “country music” all in the same sentence. Dripping with gritty Britton magic, bratty Panettiere ’tude, drama-o-plenty, and beautiful tunes, the debut episode exceeded our wildest dreams.

Nashville premieres Wednesday, Oct. 10, at 10 P.M. ET on ABC.

Photo: Courtesy of ABC

Chicago Fire

Ahem. We know this show is about the serious matter of courageous firefighters, but if the network wants us to focus on that, it’s going to have to stop playing the promo in which the Taylor Kinney character murmurs, “Maybe you could find a reason to come over?” Kinney plays one part of the hardworking Firehouse 51—so, by the way, does David Eisenberg, a.k.a. Steve from Sex and the City. The squad butts heads constantly but is always “ready when it’s go time.”

Chicago Fire premieres Wednesday, Oct. 10, at 10 P.M. ET on NBC.

Photo: Courtesy of NBC

Beauty and the Beast

If you thought things were dark in the Disney version (that dungeon Maurice stayed in was creepy!), brace yourself because they’re about to get a lot more sinister. Kristen Kreuk plays a detective who narrowly escaped death as a kid when a mysterious being saved her from the thugs who killed her mother. Decades later, a case brings her right back to the man she was never able to convince anyone existed—and it turns out he (Jay Ryan) and his beastly, terrifying alter ego have been watching her all along. Somehow we think it’ll take more than a few soup-eating lessons to get these two together.

Beauty and the Beast premieres Thursday, Oct. 11, at 9 P.M. ET on the CW.

Photo: Courtesy of CW

Emily Owens, M.D.

It takes about five minutes to get over the jaw-dropping facial similarities between Meryl Streep and her daughter Mamie Gummer, who plays this medical drama’s central doctor. But once you do, you’ll be hooked on Emily Owens’ world. Who can’t appreciate the idea of slogging through college and med school, only to land in the same hospital as your worst high school nightmare? Dr. Owens has got a Liz Lemon vibe and “root for me” written all over her—and we’re ready to go on the ride.